The world operates on authority—people telling other people what to do. Success in the world is seen as climbing the ladder of authority—being the one telling others what to do. The church is not immune to this temptation—in fact it often gives into it, accepting as a given that authority is a sign of God’s grace. But Jesus said it would not be that way with us. The key to living differently is understanding submission. But who is to submit to whom? And what does that look like?

Are you willing to get your hands dirty? The “correct” answer to that question is obvious—but it isn’t always true. Whether we’re willing to get dirty depends on how we get there, what the “dirt” is, who has it. The question is, how dirty does Jesus want us to get, and is there a place where we say “no more dirt”?